A 70-year-old female presents to the emergency department triage with a noticeable facial droop and garbled speech.

After having a few drinks at a local seafood restaurant, the client’s husband noticed his wife’s speech became difficult to understand.

The triage nurse does a rapid assessment of the client.

1915: Client arrives via personal car to emergency department with facial drooping and garbled speech.

Click to highlight the data that indicate the client is in need of immediate health interventions.

- A terminally ill client is a client who has a progressive and incurable disease or condition that is expected to result in death within a short period of time, such as months or weeks. A terminally ill client may require palliative care, which is the care that focuses on relieving pain and suffering and improving the quality of life for the client and their family.

- An admission assessment is the process of collecting information about a client's health status, needs, preferences, and goals when they are admited to a health care facility, such as a hospital, nursing home, or hospice. An admission assessment helps to establish a baseline for the client's condition, plan and implement appropriate interventions, and evaluate the outcomes of care.

- A health care proxy is a legal document that allows a client to appoint another person, such as a family member or a friend, to make health care decisions for them if they become unable to do so themselves. A health care proxy may also include specific instructions or preferences about the type and extent of care that the client wishes to receive or refuse, such as life-sustaining treatments, resuscitation, or organ donation.

- Health care proxy documentation is an important information that the practical nurse (PN) should collect during the admission assessment of a terminally ill client to an acute care facility, as it reflects the client's autonomy, dignity, and wishes regarding their end-of-life care. It also helps to ensure that the client's healthcare decisions are respected and followed by the healthcare team and the facility.

- Therefore, option A is the correct answer, while options B, C, and D are incorrect.

Option B is incorrect because the name of the funeral home to contact is not relevant or necessary for the admission assessment of a terminally ill client, as it does not affect their health status or care plan.

Option C is incorrect because the client's wishes regarding organ donation may be included in their health care proxy documentation, but they are not required or essential for the admission assessment of a terminally ill client.

Option D is incorrect because the contact information for the client's next of kin may be useful for communication and support purposes, but it is not as important as the health care proxy documentation for the admission assessment of a terminally ill client.

Choice A rationale:

4012 mg/day is not the correct answer. To calculate the maximum safe dosage of valproic acid, you need to convert the client's weight from pounds to kilograms. The client's weight in kilograms can be calculated by dividing the weight in pounds by 2.2. Therefore, 176 pounds divided by 2.2 equals 80 kilograms. The maximum safe dosage is 60 mg/kg/day, so 60 mg multiplied by 80 kg equals 4800 mg/day.

Choice B rationale:

Step 1: Convert the client’s weight from pounds to kilograms. We know that 1 kg is approximately equal to 2.2 pounds. So, we have:

176 pounds ÷ 2.2 = 80 kg (approximately)

Step 2: Calculate the maximum safe dosage for the client. We know that the maximum safe dosage of valproic acid is 60 mg/kg/day. So, we have:

60 mg/kg/day × 80 kg = 4800 mg/day

So, the maximum safe dosage for a client who weighs 176 pounds is4800 mg/day.

Choice C rationale:

3520 mg/day is not the correct answer. It does not accurately calculate the maximum safe dosage based on the client's weight.

Choice D rationale:

6171 mg/day is not the correct answer. It is significantly higher than the correct calculation and would exceed the maximum safe dosage for the client's weight.